Darkness as an ecological resource: the role of light in partitioning the nocturnal niche

@article{Gerrish2009DarknessAA,
title={Darkness as an ecological resource: the role of light in partitioning the nocturnal niche},
author={Getchen A. Gerrish and James G. Morin and Trevor J. Rivers and Zeenat Patrawala},
journal={Oecologia},
year={2009},
volume={160},
pages={525-536}
}

Nocturnal behaviors that vary as a function of light intensity, either from the setting sun or the moon, are typically labeled as circadian or circalunar. Both of these terms refer to endogenous time-dependent behaviors. In contrast, the nightly reproductive and feeding behaviors of Vargula annecohenae, a bioluminescent ostracod (Arthropoda: Crustacea) fluctuate in response to light intensity, an exogenous factor that is not strictly time-dependent. We measured adult and juvenile activity of V… CONTINUE READING